Arenal Playa Apartments

About Arenal Playa Apartments

Arenal Playa Apartments suits families and small groups who want a self-catering base on Menorca's north coast and do not mind a short walk or drive to the water. The apartments sit in the urbanisation of Arenal d'en Castell, inside the municipality of Es Mercadal, with the near-circular bay and the small resort centre about 1 km away in a straight line. This is a modest, practical address rather than a polished hotel.

Arenal Playa Apartments is listed as an apartment or villa-style stay with two stars and a guest score of 4.4 out of 5 from 116 reviews. Expect a simple, family-oriented setup: an outdoor pool, a kids pool, gardens, a terrace and a playground, with cots and family rooms among the listed facilities. Couples wanting quiet and parents wanting space for children both fit the same brief here.

Location: Arenal d'en Castell

Arenal d'en Castell is a near-circular bay of pale sand on Menorca's north coast, in the municipality of Es Mercadal. Behind the sand a low-rise resort fills in summer and empties outside the school holidays. Arenal Playa Apartments sits at Calle del Busqueret in the urbanisation, with the bay and the resort centre about 1 km away in a straight line, and Fornells 6.2 km off along the northern shore.

Walking down to the bay takes little effort; the climb back decides whether a car earns its keep for the week. Everything beyond the resort needs wheels or a bus. Es Mercadal and Monte Toro are 9.1 km away, Fornells 6.2 km, the Favàritx lighthouse 7.1 km and Menorca Airport 18.1 km. Summer buses serve the island's resorts, so confirm current lines and times with the island bus operator before relying on them.

Rooms and facilities

The listed setup points to easy self-catering. Apartments come with kitchens including a microwave, refrigerator and toaster, coffee-making kit, a balcony or patio, a fan, a safe and a television, and bathrooms with a bath and hairdryer. Cleaning and laundry service are listed too. Couples get a simple base; families get family rooms, cots and a kids pool beside the outdoor pool.

Confirm a few things directly with Arenal Playa Apartments before booking: the arrival arrangements, since check-in times are set by the property, whether a terrace or a balcony comes with the apartment you choose, and the seasonal opening of the shared outdoor pool, tennis court and playground. Non-smoking rooms, cots, iron and board and free wifi are listed. Ask about the safe and hairdryer if these matter for your stay.

Getting there

Menorca Airport (MAH) is 18.1 km from Arenal Playa Apartments in a straight line, south-west of Maó. A taxi or hire car is the simplest arrival with luggage and a food shop for a self-catering week. Buses run from the airport into Maó, and summer services reach the island's resorts. Check with the island bus operator whether a change in Maó is needed for Arenal d'en Castell.

Maó port, 16.3 km away in a straight line, takes ferries from Barcelona and Palma, while Ciutadella has its own port in the west. From Fornells, 6.2 km off, the road turns inland and then north to the bay; Es Mercadal, 9.1 km away, is the last sizeable village on the approach. Crossings and flights thin out in winter, so confirm schedules with the ferry operators before fixing dates.

Beaches, sights and food nearby

The nearest swim is the bay of Arenal d'en Castell, about 1 km away. Fornells, 6.2 km off, is a fishing village with a harbour and a long association with caldereta de llagosta, the lobster stew cooked across the island. Monte Toro, 7.9 km away and about 358 m high, carries a sanctuary at the summit, and the Favàritx lighthouse, 7.1 km off, stands on dark slate inside S'Albufera des Grau Natural Park.

Menorca's kitchen leans on the sea and the dairy. Mahón-Menorca cheese carries a protected designation of origin and appears in shops across the island, while the north coast villages around Arenal Playa Apartments are lobster-stew country. British rule in the 18th century left a gin tradition in Maó, along with Georgian windows in the capital and the barracks town of Es Castell. Stock the apartment kitchen in Es Mercadal, 9.1 km away.

A day from Arenal Playa Apartments

Start at Arenal Playa Apartments with a swim in the bay, about 1 km down the hill, before the day heats up. Drive the 7.1 km to the Favàritx lighthouse for the dark slate coast and the edges of S'Albufera des Grau, then loop back through Es Mercadal, 9.1 km from the apartments, for supplies and a walk through the village streets.

After lunch, head to Fornells, 6.2 km away, to watch the fishing boats and walk the harbour. Late afternoon suits Monte Toro, 7.9 km off and about 358 m high, where the sanctuary and the views over both coasts take little time to see. Kayaking on the north coast appears about 8.2 km away for anyone with energy left, before supper on the patio back at Arenal Playa Apartments.

Practical tips

Arenal Playa Apartments operates in a seasonal market: much of Menorca's tourism business, including many hotels, beach bars, boat trips and seasonal buses, closes roughly from November to April, while Maó, Ciutadella and Es Mercadal keep going all year. Ask Arenal Playa Apartments about its own opening dates before booking a winter trip. High summer means July and August, when the bay fills. On the bill, the Balearic sustainable tourism tax appears per person per night; rates vary with the type of accommodation and the season, children under 16 are exempt, and the Govern de les Illes Balears publishes the current rules.

Questions about Arenal Playa Apartments